Hebrew translations of free resources
“Long goodbye” materials ~ teach & practice goodbyes at end-of-school year, other social farewell occasions
Greetings, saying goodbye and social skills training for children with autism
Teachers and therapists work hard to raise young people’s awareness of how and when to begin and end conversations. My free Train Conversation Kits can be helpful to teach these skills.
There is a different and more complicated set of conversation skills involved in saying a “long goodbye,” when one is taking leave of another person they might not see for a long time – or ever. In my own experience, young people with ASD’s find “long goodbyes” stressful and confusing, and they are usually very open to advice and role play practice. I have often used this “long goodbye” rubric on occasions when I am ending therapy with a child or helping groups of young people say farewell to one another following a summer program.
This 5-page pdf download includes:
*A rubric sheet for conventional Short Goodbyes
*A sheet with a brief description of Long Goodbyes with examples of when they occur
*A summary of the 4 steps involved in carrying out a Long Goodbye
*A practice fill-in sheet for a child to write down a Long Goodbye
*An explanation page for step 2 in Long Goodbyes (the most difficult step) in which one says, “I’ll always remember…”
Paper fortune teller for conversation practice of small-talk topics – Weather & Weekends
Social skills conversation game to help children with autism practice small talk
For many young people on the autism spectrum, doing small talk does not come naturally, and in fact it can be really difficult. Many benefit from mastering certain typical, common ground topics. Since learning these skills is very hard work, we need to keep it as enjoyable as possible.
For some time, in my own work, I have been helping children practice conversation by introducing typical topics of weekends and weather, among others. In March 2021, Everyday Speech Videos featured a training video for children on the spectrum on this topic.
I felt inspired to create a paper fortune teller on this theme.
Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.
Paper fortune teller for practicing “How are you?” questions
This same resource, translated into German
[This is page 10 of the English and French versions of my book, The Conversation Train.]
Young people with autism and “How are you?” questions
When people with ASD are asked open-ended questions like “How are you doing?”, “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?”, they often can’t figure out just what it is the other person wants to know. Also, individuals with autism might be inexperienced at employing various quick, formulaic replies like “Fine, thanks” or “I’m doing okay. You?”
When people with autism are expected to ask other people “How are you?” or “How’s it going?”, many just avoid saying it altogether. There are several reasons for this. First, the unfolding of a conversation containing “How are you?” can be very unpredictable in length and in content. Asking a person how they are doing often elicits a lot of information that someone with ASD may feel unprepared to take in. Second, a person on the autism spectrum might not grasp the imperative of reciprocity in conversation, so when someone asks them “How are you?” they don’t end up asking the same thing in reply.
There are many other conversation-based paper fortune tellers on the website to practice other elements of social communication. I also show how to fold them.
Don’t miss these other free worksheets, games, and teaching / therapy resources for children on the autism spectrum:
Free social skills games & activities, emotional regulation skills for kids with ASD
Free social skills games & activities, communication / conversation skills for kids with ASD
Free social skills games & activities, social interaction skills for kids with ASD
Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.
“How was your day?” sheets. Help for answering end-of-day questions for kids with ASD
Many children, especially children with autism spectrum disorders, have difficulty answering these questions from their parents at the end of the day. Children might be tired or distracted. They might not grasp the importance of exchanging information about the school day. They may have an impaired sense of what the parent knows or does not know.
I designed these sheets so that:
*Parents can use them as written prompts
*Mental health therapists and speech therapists working with children with autism can use them for guidance and practice for this important aspect of the parent-child relationship.
This first sheet offers examples, in thematic categories, of useful statements and phrases to use when answering “How was your day” kinds of questions.
This second page offers a variety of helpful suggestions.
The third sheet offers examples of how to use the phrase prompts from page 1.
I hope these materials are helpful for you.
Joel Shaul
For more materials to facilitate conversation between the child and family members, here is another set of free materials: Talk to Family Picture Sheets.
For more practice on asking and responding to “How are you?” questions, here is a cool and fun paper fortune teller on that topic.
Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.
Speech Professionals
To view the remainder of the free resources on social communication, click HERE.
To view the remainder of the free resources on interaction, click HERE.
To view the remainder of the free resources concerning emotions, click HERE.
To learn about workshops, professional training and webinars offered by Joel Shaul, click HERE.
Customizable behavior meters ~ to increase awareness of target behaviors
German translation of this resource
There are other free, downloadable “meters” on the website.
Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.
Draw a cookie with a partner – social skills activity to promote flexibility
Draw a pizza with a partner worksheet – social skills activity to promote flexibility & compromise
How to fold the paper fortune tellers
Over the years, I have had a few young clients that can fold these as well as me, but nearly all children will need you to fold the paper fortune tellers ahead of time!
Your comments on these resources are most welcome, and often helpful. Click HERE to send an email.